


Call of The Wild

by SueN



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 22:43:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18748573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SueN/pseuds/SueN
Summary: Written for a VinList Finish The Story Challenge.Set opening paragraph (written by Teri):Shadows began to lengthen as the afternoon sun dipped toward the horizon.  Vin didn’t move, he didn’t dare.  He wasn’t sure how long he had remained hidden but the cool breeze that ruffled his hair was a welcomed relief.  From his current perch Vin had a perfect view of the group that gathered below.





	Call of The Wild

A smile played on his lips as he watched the group and he was thankful for the good fortune that had brought him to this spot at just the right moment. The wolf pack were unaware of his presence, displaying no sense of threat or danger, and Vin revelled in their freedom, feeling the strength of their spirit, and envying them their ability to be truly wild, at one with nature and their surroundings ...

He watched as two of the youngsters tussled and played, biting and nipping at each other, running in circles, yipping and barking, their tails wagging. A third pup shied around the edge of the fray, observing but not joining in, until he gave an indignant yip as his siblings rolled into him, bowling him over. 

Three adults lay close by, a male and female pairing, obviously the dominant members of the group, and an older male. All were relaxed, sated, and quiet, save for the pups’ father being forced to growl a warning when one of his boisterous offspring came too close, and their mother briefly raising her head to check on them when a yip turned into a yelp.

A lone juvenile male sat apart from the group, alert and watchful, his eyes searching and his nose sniffing the air for any sign of danger.

Eventually, the male and female stood, stretched, and shook themselves. The older male followed their lead, and with the youngsters running between them, the group moved off, making their way along the creek and stopping to lap at the cool water before heading off into the rocks and scrub that covered the steep slope rising up from the floor of the valley. 

Only then did the young male move, warily looking about him as he made his way to the kill and hungrily finished the scraps that were left.

Vin sensed the change at the same instant as the wolf, the slight shift in wind direction that carried his scent to the animal. The wolf’s head snapped up and for a long moment, amber eyes locked with blue, then the wolf turned and loped away, following the trail of the rest of the pack without a backward glance.

From his perch, high on the opposite slope, Vin watched until the young wolf disappeared from sight. Only then did he move, standing up and leaning his rifle against a nearby rock as he stretched out his legs and back. With a last look to the path the wolves had taken, Vin adjusted his hat against the glare of the setting sun, picked up his rifle, and collected his canteen from the branch where it hung before setting off along his own path, back to the clearing where he hoped Peso would be waiting. 

*******  
The moon was full, allowing plenty of light for Vin to climb partway up the slope rising above the camp. Stepping onto a large flat rock, he checked on the horses and the trail leading to the camp, and then sat, cross-legged, his rifle resting in the crook of his arm. As he pushed his hat back off his head, the cool evening breeze that ruffled his hair was a welcomed relief. From his current perch Vin had a perfect view of the group that gathered below.

A smile played on his lips as he watched the group and he was thankful for the good fortune that had caused him to cross paths with these men. In their company, Vin revelled in his new-found freedom to not be constantly looking over his shoulder, felt humbled by the strength of their belief in him and, for the most part, was comfortable with the balance he’d found between his need to be free and wild, to be at one with nature, and his desire to be a part of the strong bond of brotherhood that they shared ... 

"BUCK!" JD launched himself at his friend with a cry of annoyance as Buck snatched the hat from his head and the two began fighting over it in a flurry of arms and legs. Ezra ducked and weaved, trying, unsuccessfully, to keep out of their way, then gave an indignant shout as they rolled into him, bowling him over. 

“Gentlemen, and I assure you I use the term loosely, ” he reproached, brushing the dirt from his sleeve, “please either desist, or continue your infantile roughhousing elsewhere.”

“Hell, you could do with a little loosening yourself, Ezra,” Buck grinned, and gave the gambler another shove as he dived after JD, who’d retrieved his hat and was holding it onto his head with both hands.

On the other side of the fire, Chris, Nathan and Josiah sat together, enjoying their coffee and the floorshow. They were relaxed, pleasantly full of roasted rabbit and biscuits, and quiet ...

"BUCK!" Chris growled a warning as a long leg flailed too close for comfort.

"Someone's gonna get hurt if you two ain't careful," Nathan warned, "an' don't think you can come runnin' to me when it happens. I ain't gonna let my coffee get cold while I tend to fools who cain't sit still for more'n five minutes at a time."

The two offenders turned their backs to their 'elders' and pulled faces at each other, trying, unsuccessfully to contain their laughter as they fell to the ground beside Ezra.

"The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it." Josiah rumbled, his eyes half closed but still all-seeing.

Ezra lazily drew a pack of cards from his pocket, "Perhaps I could interest you in a hand of poker," he quirked an eyebrow at Buck and JD, "whilst you are each still in possession of the optimum number of eyes?" 

Shuffling the cards, Ezra inclined his head in invitation to Chris, Nathan and Josiah, "Gentlemen?"

Vin sighed contentedly as he watched the interplay between his friends. They were each willing to let their guard down, confident that he would see and warn them of any threat or danger. Despite the cool of the evening, he was warmed by this sign of their trust in him.

Several hands of poker later, Chris stood, stretched, and shook out his bedroll, preparing to settle down for the night. The other men followed his lead, Buck and JD resuming their pushing and shoving at each other, and Ezra complaining about every lump, bump and stone on the ground as he attempted to smooth out his bedroll.

Glancing up at the rocks where he knew his friend was positioned, Chris tipped a finger to his hat in acknowledgement. For a long moment, green eyes locked with blue through the darkness, and both men felt the connection they’d had since the first time they’d shared a glance across a dusty street six months ago.

Six months ago, Vin was the lone wolf of the pack, wary and skittish, hesitant to put his trust in the other men and unable to believe they would put theirs in him. He'd been determined to remain on the edge of the group, ready to leave at a moment’s notice, but Chris and the others had gradually pulled him in. Taking care not to spook him, to send him running for the hills, they’d shown him that it was safe to let his guard down around them, and that he was a valued and respected member of their pack, their family.

There was still a part of him that was wild, wild and woolly to the bone, but they accepted that and allowed him the freedom to roam … just not too far or for too long on his own. Vin smirked as he recalled some of the lively discussions he and Chris had had about that last part. Yep, Larabee was the dominant male of the pack, no mistaking that, but Vin wasn’t about to let him have everything his own way.

As the camp fell silent, the distant sound of a wolf’s howl was heard. Dipping his hand into his coat pocket, Vin pulled out his harmonica and raised it to his lips. Taking a breath, he blew gently across it, the discordant notes being carried away on the breeze.

*******

Epilogue: the last word ...  
“Oh, for pity’s sake,” a familiar cultured drawl drifted up to him, carried on that same breeze, “not only do we have to suffer the cacophony of night sounds produced by nature and her myriad of creatures but now Mr Tanner intends to serenade us with that infernal instrument as well.”

With a wry smile, Vin started to return the harmonica to his pocket, then his smile widened and he raised it to his lips again, and took a breath …

~~~

**Author's Note:**

> **The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. Proverbs 30:17


End file.
